About a year ago, b and I read a good book called Tis a Gift to be Simple. It's about simplifying your life from a spiritual and Biblical perspective - learning how to live a life that is quieter, more thoughtful, more concerned with knowing God and helping people, as opposed to getting richer and gaining more status in society. I'm not talking about walking around in a burlap sack and eating nothing but bean sprouts here. I just mean pointing life in a different direction: away from "more, more, more!" and toward something far cooler and more fulfilling.Ever since reading the book, we've been on a quest to simplify our lives. Everything from the way we spend our money and time to what we eat at the dinner table. I have to be honest, while I enthusiastically launched this effort with b, I was also wondering in the back of my mind if this would be like many other "self improvement" efforts - exciting and rewarding in the beginning, somewhat boring and tedious in the middle, and fizzling out to nothing in the end. I was also just a teeny bit worried about having to wear a burlap sack.
A year later, however, life for our little family has simplified considerably. And it has been such a blessing. I am so glad we made these changes, and I look forward to making more. We haven't succeeded completely - we still have a long way to go. But one step at a time, we are getting farther away from materialism and "the coolness of being too busy" and closer to the kind of life we believe God wants us to lead. And I still get to wear my normal clothes. No burlap sacks.
In a three-part series, I will be blogging about our efforts. I'll write about our successes, our failures, and our plans for the future.
Part 1: hurray for cheap cars and walking!
Part 2: simple food tastes good
Part 3: being "too busy" is not actually that cool
Look for Part 1 coming soon. Also - if you are taking steps to simplify your own life, I'd love to hear from you. And if you wear a burlap sack - send pictures!
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